原來臥虎藏龍 My Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons

Being a homemaker, in the traditional sense, usually means you put everyone else’s needs before your own. You just wait around. If you’re very capable or maybe simply lucky, you get to enjoy a bit of ME TIME somewhere in between the day. If you’re like me, who moves like a heavily pregnant snail, ME TIME is just some luxury you can’t afford.

But still, you need to strike a balance before the chaos swallows you in. For me, the best way is to daydream. Daydreaming can be conducted at any time of the day which is convenient for people like us who’re usually physically stuck somewhere. And it does lift your mood and make the chores seem more enjoyable.

Few days ago, while I was working by the kitchen sink as well as daydreaming (as usual!), some unusual sight in the garden caught my eyes.

突然間，欸？花園深處，出現了不尋常的影像～～～

花朵的實際尺寸差不多我的手掌張開那麼大！The actual size of the flowers is about that of my open palm.

I couldn’t believe it! These gigantic flowers seemed to have come out from nowhere overnight! How did that happen?! Like crouching tiger and hidden dragons? Why didn’t I notice their existence while actually working diligently on sunning (or rather, airing?) laundry in the garden almost every other day?

看著那麼一嘟嚕一嘟嚕的鮮豔色彩隨風搖曳，整個人似乎也跟著神清氣爽起來。

The sight of the plumpy balloon-like flowers was such a treat which really made my day.

園藝裝飾品都是前房客留下的。The ornaments in the garden are all (kindly!) left by the ex-tenant.

Frankly, I was then quite nervous about the decision of renting the house because it means I’d have to take care of the garden as well. The truth is, I am a total idiot when it comes to gardening. However, I know God will never give me any task that I’m unable to handle. What’s more, I believe the best lessons in life are learnt through errors of the past and the errors of the past are the wisdom of the future. Well, though I do skip the wisdom part from time to time…

It was very obvious that my ignorance of gardening indeed tortured my green-thumbed neighbours who spend most of their time in the gardens working wonders. One day, after I complimented John on his beautifully trimmed lawn which really put my mine in shame, he beamed at me, “I can do it for you! I meant to ask you actually…”

這是前門。搬來的時候光禿禿的，還想說等安頓好了以後，或許買幾盆鮮豔的花點綴一下，原來只是時候未到，真的是超級植物盲。。。窗戶上貼著的是＂Save Our Library＂，反對地方政府企圖關閉公立圖書館以節省經費的提案。When we first moved in, this patch at our front door looked so dull without any colours. Now I know it just wasn’t the blooming time yet. The small sign on the window reads “Save Our Library”, opposing the County Council’s proposed closure of public libraries.

我很喜歡這種紫藍色的小花，好像帶著螢光的感覺。One of my favourite colours. If you take a closer look, it seems to be fluorescent.